Cayetano reprimanded the Department of Health (DOH) for their lack of action regarding the closure of health centers in EMBO, which could have been used for the welfare of Taguig's new residents.
During the DOH budget hearing in the Senate on November 19, 2024, the senator mentioned that he heard on the radio that DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said he could do nothing about the situation and would instead send mobile clinics and medicine to aid EMBO residents.
"Everything you said, you did not do. You did not send mobile clinics, you did not send personnel and when Mayor Lani (Cayetano, Taguig City Mayor) called you, instead of addressing her concerns, you told her to write to you," said the senator.
Herbosa, however, stated that the agreement was to transfer the management of the said health centers from Makati City to Taguig City by September 1 of this year.
"Yes, we know they remain locked. Remember the agreement was, after September 1, they would be turned over. Yet they didn't. That time we were also... I even added a new regional director for Metro Manila," Herbosa responded.
At present, Herbosa asserted that the DOH is providing aid to the sick in Taguig through the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP).
In an earlier interview by Taguig.com with Mayor Cayetano when she filed her certificate of candidacy at the Convention Hall of the New Taguig City Hall on October 7, 2024, she maintained her position that the facilities standing on the land of EMBO, now transferred to Taguig by virtue of a Supreme Court order, belong to the City Government and the people.
"Where will you find a justification sweeter than leaving these facilities locked up, mossy, and moldy instead of letting people use them? I expressed this to the Secretary of Health, Secretary of DILG, and Makati officials. I said that if you let people use these, it doesn't mean you surrender their ownership to us. You can still pursue your legal domain over those facilities," Mayor Cayetano said.
Currently, EMBO barangay residents in need of health services can consult through telemedicine, and there are also health centers in Taguig that they can visit, referred to as catchment health facilities.
The teleconsultation hotlines are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. These will provide free medical check-ups and referrals, as well as prescriptions and laboratory requests that residents can avail of for free.
TELEMEDICINE NUMBERS FOR EMBO BARANGAYS
•BARANGAY WEST REMBO
Telemedicine Number: 09628330504
Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BarangayWestRemboHealthCenterTaguig/
•(Continued list of Barangays and their telemedicine numbers and official Facebook pages)
(Photos by Taguig PIO)
